Is violence justified in Buddhism?

Buddhist teachings maintain that under any circumstance whether political, religious, cultural, or ethnic, violence cannot be accepted or advocated to solve disputes between nations. All Buddhist traditions unanimously agree that war cannot be the solution to disputes and conflicts either even to achieve a religious goal, violence cannot be used or applied. Theoretically, violence is not associated with Buddhism. Its “five precepts,” which all Buddhists, including monks, nuns, and lay Buddhists should observe, begins with “non-violence” or “not killing”—abstain from violence or killing. All sentient beings fear violent activities, it states, in particular, that all living beings are scared of death, all living beings value their own lives, when one is faced with violence, and one has to reflect that one’s situation is similar to that of others because of the fact that as human beings we want our own lives to be secure. Thus, the Buddhist notion of protecting all forms of life and avoiding violent activities derives from the fundamental conviction that as one’s life is worthy for oneself, others also have a similar position with respect to their own lives.